Dignitaries to Launch NASBLA 51st Annual Conference

NASBLA is thrilled that so many colleagues and friends of the association will be joining us in Honolulu to help us celebrate our 50th Anniversary. We could think of no two better dignitaries to help launch the opening of the conference than two individuals with long relationships with NASBLA and our members: Rear Admiral Kevin Cook and Mr. Jim Muldoon.

Rear Admiral Kevin Cook is currently assigned as the Director of Prevention Policy where his responsibilities span many of Coast Guard’s Marine Safety, Security and Stewardship missions affecting waterways management, domestic and international shipping, recreational and fishing boats, and port facilities.
Just some of Rear Admiral Cook’s previous duty assignments include three tours afloat: CGC MADRONA as a deck watch officer; CGC BITTERSWEET as the Executive Officer; and CGC COWSLIP as the Commanding Officer.

Rear Admiral Cook has held a variety of field positions supporting the Marine Safety, Security, and Environmental Protection mission areas; first, as a mid-grade officer at Marine Safety Office Hampton Roads, Virginia.  Later he was assigned at Marine Safety Office Houston-Galveston, Texas, as Executive Officer, and subsequently Commanding Officer.  There he served as Captain of the Port for the ports of Houston, Galveston, Texas City, and Freeport, and offshore waters.  For two years following 9/11, he also directed maritime homeland security operations through command of the regional Task Unit that included members serving in Coast Guard units and Navy patrol boats spanning from Freeport, Texas, eastward to Lake Charles, Louisiana.

A native of Freehold, NJ, he graduated from the Coast Guard Academy in 1979 with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Ocean Engineering.  Rear Admiral Cook also earned a Masters of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University. He is a 1999 graduate of the U.S. Army War College.  In 2003, he was appointed as the Coast Guard Fellow to Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Study Group.  His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal, Coast Guard Commendation Medal, and Coast Guard Achievement Medal.  Additionally, he was recognized by the National Propeller Club as the Port of Houston Maritime Person of the Year for 2003.

Jim Muldoon is founder and chief executive officer of METCOR, which specializes in government relations, high technology training, telecommunications and oil production. He is also chairman of the board for Learning Systems International, a wholly owned subsidiary of METCOR that develops high-tech training materials and documentation and delivers training.

Jim served in the U.S. Air Force for four years in communications intelligence. During this time, he worked on the completion of his degree and following his discharge received a bachelor’s degree in political service from the University of Maryland. He then accepted a position as assistant to U.S. Senator Birch Bayh. Concurrently, he pursued a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School, completing his studies in 1969. An avid sailor, Jim has been a champion of boating safety through his active involvement in international sailing and boating-related organizations, including the U.S. delegation of the International Sailing Federation, US SAILING, the U.S. Coast Guard Foundation and the Brendan Corporation Sail Training Program for Youths with Learning Differences, which he founded. He has served as chairman of the National Boating Safety Advisory Council since 1998.

Both Read Admiral Cook and Mr. Muldoon have a long history with NASBLA and know our association and members as well as any other two individuals. We honored and delighted that they accepted our invitation to officially mark the beginning of our 51st Annual Conference.

Opening ceremonies will be held on Saturday, September 11th at 4:00 PM in the Kauai Ballroom of the Sheraton Waikiki.

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